The family of a Palestinian grandmother detained in Sydney have pleaded with the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, for answers about her visa cancellation. Maha Almassri, 61, was taken from her son's home in a pre-dawn raid by border force officers on Thursday.
Almassri fled Gaza in February 2024 and entered Australia on a visitor visa. She was granted a bridging visa in June after applying for a protection visa, but that visa was cancelled on character test grounds following an assessment by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio). She is now held at Villawood detention centre.
Her cousin, Mohammed Almassri, appealed directly to Burke, saying: 'We need our auntie back, we need her freedom. Why did she fail the security check? Answer our question, please, Tony Burke.' The family expressed concern for her physical and mental health, describing her as feeling alone and crying constantly.
In a statement, the family said they had voted for Burke after community advice, and urged a resolution in accordance with human rights. They also condemned 'vile anti-Muslim' sentiment in media coverage of the case and noted that two other Palestinians from Gaza had been detained in similar raids.
Burke declined to comment on the case, saying the family's information was 'not necessarily consistent' with security advice. The shadow home affairs minister, Andrew Hastie, questioned why Almassri's initial visitor visa had been granted and asked what the government planned to do next.
